John Adams News

Music Director Osmo Vänskä guides Orchestra's flagship classical series, September 2014 to June 2015, featuring a lineup of classical masterworks, star soloists and conductors

My whirlwind day trip to the City of Brotherly Love continued with stops at as many places I could get to that either figure in the story of 1776 or might evoke 18th century Philadelphia. There are still some wonderful pockets of the city that are very much like they were a couple hundred years ago, the most charming of which is Elfreth's Alley. This little cobbled lane lined with quaint houses (all still residential homes) is the oldest residential street in America and looks just as it would have had John Adams himself strolled down it in the summer of '76.

Profiles in History, the world's largest auctioneer & dealer of historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed photographs, manuscripts and original Hollywood memorabilia, will present Historical Document Auction 63, June 13, 2014, beginning at 11am PST. This unprecedented collection of rare and virtually unseen documents is highlighted by one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most famous correspondences—a letter written in 1806 during the chaotic creation and production of his only opera, Fidelio. The Auction Pre-sale Estimate for this extremely rare document, not publicly seen since the 1950's, is $150,000 - $250,000 and could easily exceed that figure.

The New York Philharmonic will conclude its 2013-14 subscription season with The Beethoven Piano Concertos: A Philharmonic Festival, featuring The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in- Residence Yefim Bronfman and conducted by Alan Gilbert, today, June 11-28, 2014.

54 Below has announced the latest musical scores to be featured in its acclaimed '54 Sings' concert series this summer:

I am a research fanatic; I admit it. With each role I play I become my own dramaturge, digging around to learn everything I can about the source material of the play, the period it is set in… anything that will enable me to get inside the skin of the character. Years ago, I created a series of solo shows in which I played screen siren Marlene Dietrich. I felt a huge responsibility, as I attempted to embody such an iconic and distinctive star, to see every film, listen to every recording, and read every book in my quest to be as authentic as possible in my portrayal. With 1776 and John Adams, I am dealing with American history and one of our founding fathers…Talk about responsibility!

I am a research fanatic; I admit it. With each role I play I become my own dramaturge, digging around to learn everything I can about the source material of the play, the period it is set in… anything that will enable me to get inside the skin of the character. Years ago, I created a series of solo shows in which I played screen siren Marlene Dietrich. I felt a huge responsibility, as I attempted to embody such an iconic and distinctive star, to see every film, listen to every recording, and read every book in my quest to be as authentic as possible in my portrayal. With 1776 and John Adams, I am dealing with American history and one of our founding fathers…Talk about responsibility!

Maestra Marin Alsop will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and John Adams' On the Transmigration of Souls tonight, June 5 at 8 p.m., Friday, June 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 8 at 3 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and on Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore.

Max McLean, Artistic Director of Fellowship for Performing Arts, announces that C.S. Lewis' THE GREAT DIVORCE will be presented from tonight, June 5, through Sunday, June 15, at the Alliance Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. NE in Atlanta. This journey to Heaven and Hell is a provocative exploration of human nature, featuring vivid characters drawn with Lewis' trademark wit.

HISTORY has ordered its latest scripted miniseries SONS OF LIBERTY from A+E Studios and Stephen David Entertainment (The Men Who Built America, The World Wars);

Make Music New York, ComposersCollaborative Inc, Peppergreen Media & Cornelia Street Café present 'IN (Key),' an extraordinary 50th anniversary celebration of Terry Riley's minimalist masterpiece 'IN C' on Saturday, June 21st featuring eleven new works by leading composer-performers. The event will begin with a special performance of 'IN C' itself, serving as a prelude to all that is to follow.

Every actor has his or her dream roles. And so few of us get the chance to play them. One of the parts I have coveted for years is John Adams in the great American musical, 1776, and after numerous auditions for various productions, I have the chance to play the role this summer! To capture and share the process of preparing this role, which I will be performing at Cape Playhouse in July, I have created this video blog!

From Die Hard to the architecture of Richard Neutra and R.M. Schindler, from Blade Runner to the fiction of James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler, and from fires, riots, and earthquakes to the lives of so many Americans who have looked to Southern California as a panacea, Gabriel Kahane's The Ambassador (Masterworks) draws its inspiration from a multitude of sources to tell intimate, human stories against the backdrop of Los Angeles architecture and popular culture.

Max McLean, Artistic Director of Fellowship for Performing Arts, announces that C.S. Lewis' THE GREAT DIVORCE will be presented from Thursday, June 5, through Sunday, June 15, at the Alliance Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. NE in Atlanta. This journey to Heaven and Hell is a provocative exploration of human nature, featuring vivid characters drawn with Lewis' trademark wit.

Max McLean, Artistic Director of Fellowship for Performing Arts, announces that C.S. Lewis' THE GREAT DIVORCE will be presented at the Cullen Theater at Wortham Center, 501 Texas Avenue in Houston, on Friday, August 15 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, August 16 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. This journey to Heaven and Hell is a provocative exploration of human nature, featuring vivid characters drawn with Lewis' trademark wit.

General Director Plácido Domingo announced today that Grant Gershon has renewed his contract at LA Opera's Resident Conductor, effective through June of 2017.

General Director Plácido Domingo announced today that Grant Gershon has renewed his contract at LA Opera's Resident Conductor, effective through June of 2017.

Amazon.com, Inc. today announced the highly-anticipated arrival of the first wave of HBO programming on Prime Instant Video.

Now that the San Diego Opera has been saved, they present their 50th Anniversary Season. In the 2015 Season they offer 3-opera subscriptions including La bohème, Don Giovanni and Nixon in China, as well as two very special 50th Anniversary Celebration Concerts. More events are being planned so stay tuned for more exciting offerings. For subscriptions and more information, visit: http://www.sdopera.com/Operas

Maestra Marin Alsop will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and John Adams' On the Transmigration of Souls on Thursday, June 5 at 8 p.m., Friday, June 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 8 at 3 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and on Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore.